2009 Simi Sonoma Chardonnay

February 18, 2011 - Norman Bentley

When you cook dinner for your sweetheart on Valentines Day, it had better be a good one, especially if your sweetheart is the "Queen of Chardonnay"! The dinner was lobster and shrimp, steamed and served with drawn butter, accompanied by fresh asparagus, and parslied new potatoes.

The wine was the 2009 Simi Sonoma Chardonnay. We have enjoyed every vintage of this wine for the past five or six years, and the 2009 was no exception. The previous vintages have always scored in the high eighties and low nineties, and this one was is consistent with those scores.

The nose is fragrant and graceful, suggesting peaches and pears, with a slight citrus aroma. The fruit is highly concentrated with swirls of apple and pear, with an overlying pineapple presence. The finish is crisp and clean, lingering with a flirtation of oak, begging for another sip. The grapes come from Russian River, Alexander Valley, and the Carneros growing regions of Sonoma County.

The wine just ripples with luscious fruit, and enough oak to be perfect with shellfish served with drawn butter. This was a Valentine present to the both of us. The 2009 Simi Chardonnay would also be my choice for Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo, or most any other fowl or seafood dish. Norm's score is an 88.